Pensions: prime pillar of social Europe (16 June 2004)
Congress press release
Secure state and occupational pensions as one of the prime pillars of a social Europe was reaffirmed at the European Federation of Public Service Unions’ (EPSU) Congress in Stockholm today.
This was by means of a Resolution (R.3.) on pensions, upholding the principle of secure state and occupational pensions. This poison on pensions has the weight of eight million European public service workers and citizens behind it.
A wide-ranging debate which acknowledged the diversity of national pension systems was held. The Resolution makes provision for a flexible Europe-wide pension system in the near future. Providing the background to the pensions’ debate was Josef Niemiec, Confederal Secretary of the Brussels-based European Trade Union Confederation.
He referred to the ETUC’s joint actions on the aging workforce, highlighting in particular, and supplementary pensions. Mobility and maintaining pension rights on a cross-border basis was another issue of prime concern for the trade union leader. While not objecting to supplementary pensions, Mr. Niemiec said: “We do not want supplementary schemes to interfere with basic pension rights.”
Referring to the European Commission’s proposed Framework Directive on aspects of the aging workforce, the ETUC Confederal Secretary assured the Congress that “the ETUC would do its’ utmost to deal with this.”
The Resolution was introduced on behalf of the EPSU Executive Committee by Peter Waldorff who referred to the “pay-as-you-go” pension as a sort of ideal, saying that “the social objective is at the heart of our attention.” The importance of intergenerational solidarity and ethical investment policies were also emphasised.
In the main body of the debate, there was a rejection of the shift of risk away from the state and/or employers towards the individual. The promotion of funds-based pension schemes were being foisted on governments and workers by financial companies determined to carve out a contrived market, most speakers felt. Such inherently insecure pension schemes were regarded as no substitute for proper collectively funded state and contributory based occupational pensions.
Another important aspect of the social agenda that was advanced at the EPSU Congress today was the issue of Gender Equality, a Resolution (R.4.) on which was also adopted.
Congress press releases and a Congress bulletin will appear daily on the EPSU website: www.epsu.org The Congress takes place at Folkets Hus, Box 70471 SE-107 26 Stockholm, Sweden
Telephone: +46 8 506 166 00
For further information contact Brian Synnott, EPSU
Mobile: +32 474 98 96 75 e.mail: bsynnott@epsu.org
Press enquiries during the Congress period can also be made to: Bernard Conlon
Tel: +46 8 50616809 Mobile +44 (0)7837891233
Notes for Editors:
About EPSU www.epsu.org
The European Federation of Public Services Unions is the largest Federation of the ETUC and represents 8 million workers, providing services to the public in health and social care, local, regional and central government, and utilities in energy, water and waste.EPSU Secretariat, Rue Royale 45, box 1, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 250
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